Call to action

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This well-meaning US organisation is fighting to "protect human health, restore our oceans and ecosystems, and curb global warming". Its website invites visitors to get behind several campaigns. For a start, you might like to sign the petition to urge US politicians to place national caps on greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to collect "one million signatures and demonstrate to Washington, the nation and the world that global warming is a critical issue that demands immediate and decisive action". Next stop is the Oceans Alive headquarters, which lists the best and worst fish for the environment and your health so you can shop smarter. Things such as toxic chemical levels, depletion of fish populations and the negative effects of farming are considered. The site also rates US cities on how air pollution is making outdoor activities dangerous (no prizes for guessing where Los Angeles is ranked).

Here is a handy resource for making last-minute hotel reservations. Sifting through the extensive database of accommodation to find the right deal is a straightforward process. Select the check-in and check-out dates (up to 20 days in advance), the country (everywhere from Andorra through to Vietnam is catered for), the city or region, the specific location and star rating (three to five) and click search. The site will return a list of possible deals sorted by price, location or hotel name. In a couple of clicks, you can read the description of a hotel and then book your room (smoking or non-smoking) using your credit card. RatesToGo.com also features a range of daily deals from each location for quick perusal. Membership is free.

You don't necessarily have to spend $90 every time you want some fresh games action. Just log on to Free Games and wander through the various categories the directory offers - there are adventure, arcade, board, card, puzzle, sports and multiplayer games to choose from. With old gems such as Pong Solo and Galaga, as well as newer action challenges such as WWII Pacific Heroes and Air Strike a download away, there is plenty to tempt the idle soul. You can also make a selection from one of the most popular games - each title receives votes and a rating. The site adds new games regularly.

Comic genius Robin Williams regularly interviews an assortment of personalities for Audible.com, an e-tailer which offers a massive collection of spoken-word audio programs. You can find the audio versions of best-selling books in fiction and non-fiction, plus radio programs, comic sessions and sound bytes from periodicals such as JazzTimes. Many of these you have to pay for, but as an introduction to the site you can sign up for free on this page and listen to Williams having a very funny chat with George Lucas about Star Wars as well as his interview with Monty Python's Eric Idle. You'll need to download AudibleManager first.

Finally, someone with the initiative to build a library of music from the world's great whistlers and their hits. Listen to sample tracks taken off CD and vinyl from wonderful performers such as Virginia Bollinger, Max Gilstrap (who could forget his album Sounds of Yosemite?) and the groovy Don Robertson (it doesn't get any better than The Happy Whistler). The guide also looks at the careers and music of Brother Bones (of Sweet Georgia Brown fame) and Fred Lowery, whose illustrious career started in the glory days of 1940s pop music before he reinvented himself in the late 1960s by whistling hymns and producing "five sacred albums".